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. 1973 Jun;24(6):977–995.

The role of anaerobic coryneforms on specific and non-specific immunological reactions

I. Effect on particle clearance and humoral and cell-mediated immunological responses

G J O'Neill, D C Henderson, R G White
PMCID: PMC1422929  PMID: 4717941

Abstract

A wide range of different strains of anaerobic coryneforms and classical propionibacteria have been surveyed for some of their macrocytostimulant effects (included under this term are the ability to increase the rate of phagocytic uptake of carbon after intravenous injection of the latter into mice, ability to stimulate an increase in lysosomal hydrolases and ability to exert directly a chemotactic stimulus on macrophages) and their ability to increase humoral and cellular immunity when admixed with an immunogen.

Of twenty-one strains of anaerobic coryneforms tested, fifteen strains were able to produce an increase of the phagocytic index in mice of at least 50 per cent. Micro-organisms that were effective in these tests occurred in each of the four main serological groups. Although no single serological group showed outright superiority in causing an increase of K, three of the five strains which had highest activity belonged to serological group I. Four organisms representing the `classical' propionibacteria were also tested, but none of these caused an increase of phagocytic index in mice.

Many of the strains that stimulated a rise in phagocytic index also caused an increase in the weight of the spleen measured at 10 days after injection and a moderately good correlation was apparent between the magnitude of the two effects.

Tests in mice and chickens for an adjuvant action on serum levels of antibody failed to show any enhancement of primary responses, although a barely significant elevation of the secondary response in the mouse was observed. In the guinea-pig, a clear adjuvant effect on the levels of serum antibody in a primary response was observed. However, no evidence could be obtained that any of several anaerobic coryneforms was able to enhance cell-mediated hypersensitivity, as shown by delayed-type skin tests or corneal reactions.

A study of the histological responses to a footpad injection of various anaerobic coryneforms (in water-oil emulsion with ovalbumin) showed that the regional (popliteal) node underwent a considerable expansion of the lymphoid-cell content of the paracortical (thymus-dependent) area. This was accompanied by extensive sinus plugging by lymphocytes and endothelial hypertrophy of post-capillary venules.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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